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BJ: Is it true that because you came from a certain economic class in Pakistan, you didn’t face sexism in the architecture industry and that your women counterparts in Britain might have faced a lot more challenges being a woman? Has it become easier for women coming from less privileged backgrounds to practise architecture in Pakistan today? YL: Whenever I tell people at international forums that I am from Pakistan, the assumption is that I would have faced a lot of hardships, but that is not true. I could study at Oxford in those days because I came from a privileged background. When I started practising in the country, there were a handful of women architects, and because we were so few, the fraternity took great care of us. We were always moving and working in protected and privileged circles, so I didn’t face a lot of sexism in the early years of my practice. It was only later when I started to build a reputation for myself, both nationally and internationally, that I faced a lot of envy from my male counterparts in the country. But I was unfazed because I had a great support system in my family.


The women taking up architecture these days are facing a lot of difficulties compared to when I started because now there are more of them and they are seen as a threat to patriarchal structures. A lot of them are allowed to study, but are not allowed to practise. It will only change once we as a society recognise women’s right to work. Families have to support the women in their families to go out and make a living and a name for themselves, because without that, nothing will change. It is exhausting for women to battle at both work and home fronts.


BJ: What are your views on sustainability? How has the conversation around sustainability shaped up in Pakistan? YL: I completely subscribe to the definition provided by the UN World Commission: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. However, we aren’t even cognizant of the fact that our consumption patterns are depriving the marginalised and the poor of their rightful resources now—forget about future generations! More than 100 million people in my country do not have proper housing. I believe in empowering these people within a barefoot ecosystem where even the people from poor communitues can earn a living by learning Green skills and sustainable techniques. I work extensively with women whom I believe have an innate understanding of materials like lime and earth, and can express their creativity freely through them.


The Pakistan chulha (cooking stove) is great example of how hundreds of poor rural housewives have not just learnt to build them, but have become entrepreneurs by providing guidance to other women in multiple villages in the country. When I designed the chulha, it didn’t just come out of concern over women’s health being affected by sitting bent over for hours inhaling the toxic smoke—the idea was to give dignity and empowerment. That is why the chulha is an elevated platform with a designated seat


FUTURARC 23


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